Gloomy publishing news

Writers, publishers, librarians and others involved in the book trade have for many years been looking to Kirkus Reviews for the earliest and savviest book reviews to be found. Now, we get an announcement that Kirkus is ceasing publication. What we loved about Kirkus was their willingness to take a chance and pan a bad book even if it was written by a celebrity and published by a major house. This fearless quality is hard to find in today's media world where most reviewers hesitate to disturb anyone who might someday have a chance to strike back. Too many reviews in major review journals are written by old friends and colleagues eager to put in a good word for a pal. And for those of us who take children's books seriously, it was good to have a source of reviews that didn't pander to the popular celebrities who turn out children's books at an alarming rate. Online journals and blogs are doing good service in letting people know about what's worth reading and what's not, but so far none has come up to the standard of Kirkus. Let's hope someone does soon; we'll miss the astringent voice of Kirkus.